Community Reviews

"The flowering of human society depends on two factors: intellectual power of outstanding men to conceive sound social and economic theories, and the ability of these or other men to make these ideologies palatable to the majority." - L. v. Mises, Human Action

This is former Texas Congressman Ron Paul's (very brief) panegyric to the thought of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises. It is a fairly breezy read, and due to its length Paul only superficially treats Mises' ideas, and where he believes t"The flowering of human society depends on two factors: intellectual power of outstanding men to conceive sound social and economic theories, and the ability of these or other men to make these ideologies palatable to the majority." - L. v. Mises, Human Action

This is former Texas Congressman Ron Paul's (very brief) panegyric to the thought of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises. It is a fairly breezy read, and due to its length Paul only superficially treats Mises' ideas, and where he believes they lead. That's not a knock against Congressman Paul or the book, of course, as its intent was not to be an exhaustive study of Misesian economics.

Though he didn't elaborate very much on the point, Paul's philosophical side shined through in the final chapter (aptly titled "Natural Rights") where he aired his only beef with von Mises: the issue of natural rights vs. utilitarianism. Ron Paul is a firm believer in a "God given" right to liberty that all men are endowed with, whereas Mises rejected this as antiquated metaphysical nonsense. Von Mises did not require this natural right to liberty in order to justify his economics; he felt that its utility was evidence enough of its superiority to all others. Ron Paul sketches out why he thinks that utility, while it does favor laissez-faire over controlled economies, is not a strong enough justification for a free market economy. Only natural rights--the right to liberty inherent in us all--can do that. His argument is brief, but if only for that glimmer of Ron Paul the philosopher, this slim volume is worth the read....more

A very quick read; At only 23 pages I read it in an afternoon but it is very much worth the time. In very short order Dr. Ron Paul makes a very convincing case for capitalism while lauding the wisdom of his personal hero. As with his other literary works, highly recommended.

This is a real quick overview of Austrian Economics and mention of Ludwig Von Mises' influence on the Statesman Ron Paul. What we need to fix this nation is the clear logic of economics that Austrian Economics offers along with the understanding of individual rights and its source.

Republican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, a bestselling author, and a former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate.Originally from the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pennsylvania, he studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the VietRepublican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, a bestselling author, and a former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate.Originally from the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pennsylvania, he studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone. He later represented Texas districts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1976–1977, 1979–1985, and 1997–present). He entered the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican, and placed a distant third.

Paul has been described as conservative, Constitutionalist, and libertarian. He advocates a foreign policy of nonintervention, having voted against actions such as the Iraq War Resolution, but in favor of force against terrorists in Afghanistan. He favors withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, citing the dangers of foreign entanglements to national sovereignty. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax, scaling back government spending, abolishing most federal agencies, and removing military bases and troops from foreign soil; he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He also opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, No Child Left Behind, and gun control. Paul is strongly pro-life, and has introduced bills to negate Roe v. Wade, but affirms states' rights to regulate or ban abortion, rather than federal jurisdiction.

While Paul was a leading 2008 presidential candidate in some Republican straw polls, he saw substantially less support in landline opinion polls and in the actual primaries. Strong internet grassroots support was indicated by his popularity as a web search term, his lead in YouTube subscriptions, and, on December 16th 2007, the largest one-day fundraiser in U.S. political history, netting over $6 million in 24 hours through an independently organized effort. His book commenting on the presidential run, The Revolution: A Manifesto, became a bestseller immediately upon release and went on to be #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list.

Judge Andrew Napolitano calls him "the Thomas Jefferson of our day."

Ron Paul, the New York Post once wrote, is a politician who "cannot be bought by special interests."

"There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles," added a congressional colleague. "Ron Paul is one of those few." ...more